What a Blessing I'm Living!

¡¡¡Hola Bendita Familia!!! Sept. 6, 2010

I hope all is well on the home front! This past week has been a great blessing for us in the missionary work and I feel truly blessed for being in the Lord’s work in this area. My time with Elder Coloma was a sweet and edifying time, but sadly ended very soon. When we had a Zone Leader Counsel meeting this last Friday, the assistants to the President were working with us to ways to better the mission and how to better the weaknesses we have been confronting lately. We were asked to part into our companionships to make goals to resolve the issues when, all of the sudden, Elder Guañuna (an assistant) starts naming us off in companionships completely different and says, “Now work out these goals with your new companions for the next change.” WHAT!!!!!!??? We were all taken by surprise. Hahaha! Only three Zone Leader Companionships weren’t changed. I was matched with another Chilean missionary named Elder Urra. He was serving as Zone Leader in Rancagua (my first zone) and I heard he is a great worker and leader. He is from Concepción, Chile (south) and his dad was recently released as the Mission President for the Chile Antofagasta Mission the same time that President Resek was released from our mission. I am super excited to start working with him. I don’t know him very well but I have heard good things about him. We’ll see how it goes.

Our ward truly has the vision of missionary work and many of the leaders are working to spread this excitement with the rest of the members. For example, we have a Missionary Work Commitee and every Auxiliary Organization has a missionary minute assignment to commit a member on Sunday to give out a Book of Mormon to someone during the week. Also, we have set up list with every organization in the church to write the days and times that they can come with us to visit investigators. What is special feeling it is to feel the love, support, and energy from the members for us. It is a feeling I can’t express but this is how Zion should be functioning on the earth today. We have many plans for the near future and I can’t explain them all but it is overwhelming to see how the Lord’s hand is functioning in this area. I encourage you to do the same with the missionaries in Murrieta Hills and wherever you go. That will be a measure of your testimony: how much you want to share it with others around you without embarrasement. Tonight, we have a lesson with our High Priest Leader’s cousin and her family. Brother Patricio Henriquez has been preparing her for some time now and we met her yesterday. I am so excited to teach them because it is a complete family!!!! Pray for us. Naiza and her kids are doing great. She comes to church every week about 35 minutes early and is ready to learn. I know she will get baptized soon as well as her kids. Patricio passed the sacrament yesterday after having received the Priesthood last week. He definitely will serve a mission and actually accompanied us to a few lessons last week. He is one of the Lord’s “chosen”. I love him like a brother.

I am aware of your difficulties at home and hope you know that my prayers are with you every day of my life. I thank God for my parents every day and fasted for you yesterday. My family is my life and I encourage you to see the recent Mormon Messages on lds.org. There is one on Forgiveness that will blow your mind away. Also, you’ll love one on parenting as well. I feel like I have had these messages in my life as a child and that means a lot to me. Thanks for providing that for me. We had a service project on Saturday where we built an extention on the house of a Sister in the Ward who has terminal cancer and was living in extremely small conditions. She was happy and her only question to us was to whom should she pay her tithing and fast offerings to. That is such a strong testimony to you and I that we should always put our trust in the Lord first and everything else will work out. She wants your prayers and is looking for a miracle. Please help. I hope this next week finds you all in better states than last week. Take care and know I think of you!

Con Amor,
Elder Josh Boaz